Edmonton Oilers Talk: 3-2 Win Marred by TWO Crowd-Silencing Moments

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Cult of Hockey

The Edmonton Oilers edge the Canucks 3-2 in a game marred by Zack Kassian injury

MIKE SMITH. 8. Blocked 37 of 39 in all. Looks to be in mid-season (2021) form.
JESSE PULJUJARVI. 5. Looked snake bit and just a quarter-turn out of synch.
ZACH HYMAN. 4. The effort was there, but not Hyman’s best outing.
DUNCAN KEITH. 6. Lots of smart little plays back there, especially deep in his own zone. Effective down low.
CODY CECI. 5. Ceci and Keith were pretty good together after a rough outing versus the Flames. Registered 3 shots, 2 hits and 2 blocks in 18:07. Not bad.
ZACK KASSIAN. 6. Fought with the Canucks’ pest MacEwan late but when Kassian slipped…his helmet-less head banged off the ice. Late word was he talking with teammates afterward.
TYLER BENSON. 4. A 5-alarm turnover by Tyler Benson in the offensive zone led to a 3-on-1 Vancouver jail break that Smith snuffed out with his toe. He might be in a tough spot.
RYAN McLEOD. 5. Above-average performance from the young Center. Just 45% in the circle.
WARREN FOEGELE. 6. Drew not one but 2 penalties in the 1^st Period by being in the guts of the game. He, Ryan and Kassian were highly effective together.

BLH’s Thoughts: Weird game but the Oilers PP won them another one and Mike Smith played really well despite getting clattered into by Vasili Podkolzin and Zach McEwen.

The line of Foegele-Ryan-Kassian was very effective throughout the evening and gave the Canucks defensemen fits. If the big men on this line can stay healthy, they’re going to be like a battering ram for the Oilers.

Connor McDavid was playing like somebody kicked his dog. Man, he was pissed from the drop of the puck. Not angry enough to embarrass Vancouver, but enough to get physical with some of the Canucks’ nobody players.

Duncan Keith has two points in two games for the Oilers this preseason and in this one, he was really good I though. He moved the puck very well, he was physical, and to say his stick was active is a slight understatement. The guy was like a lumberjack with that thing…

I feel for Tyler Benson, he finally did what I was suggesting he do a long time ago and that was pivot his playing style. Last night he was one of the more physical players on the team despite not getting a lot of TOI. He looked like a 4th line sparkplug for the most part but unfortunately his energy tailed off as the game wore on.

For me, that performance might’ve saved Benson a spot on the roster for the time being. I’m curious if Kassian might take some time after getting knocked out cold in that fight vs. MacEwan, bloody guy keeps getting hurt in fights. So if that’s the case, Benson might get a reprieve of sorts.

Did anybody else’s heart jump into their throats when Mike Smith took an extra minute or five to get up after a net front collision with a Canucks forward? Rogers Place was certainly quiet as Edmonton’s trainer scooted out to see if their no.1 goalie was okay.

Ryan McLeod showed flashes of brilliance and he got himself on the PK a bit, but I’m unsure of his roster spot security. He might get sent to Bakersfield regardless.

The Turris showcase didn’t really pan out…

The Edmonton Sun

Zach Hyman proving his versatility with Edmonton Oilers early on

Hyman and Nugent-Hopkins looking like they could be one of the top two PK pairs with Derek Ryan and Warren Foegele. They will also be on the Oilers power play.
“That’s one of the things we talked about when we acquired Zach…he’s comfortable wherever you put him, with whomever he plays with. He’ll play the same hard game. From a coaching stand-point, you look down the bench…it’s a nice thing to have,” said Tippett…
Zack Kassian’s helmet came off after a fight with Zack McEwen off a face-off then a wrestling match with the Vancouver winger with four minutes left in the third. Kassian was mad that MacEwen had poked Mike Smith in the goalmouth earlier in the third with the fiery Smith looking like he wanted to scrap with the Canucks’ winger
The Oilers had a major scare in the first period when Canucks’ rookie Vasily Podkolzin ran over Smith after the goalie had made a remarkable toe stop on the winger. It looked like Smith may have hurt his groin on the stretching save but he got bumped in the head and trainer T.D. Forss had to come out.
This was Smith’s kind of game; high-paced, bodies in his face, and fiery responses from the Oiler goalie as he made 36 stops.
As it stands now, Brendan Perlini and Devin Shore, who didn’t dress, have the inside track on two fourth line spots.
McLeod and Sceviour did get some PK work as a third pair but Benson sat. He made a bad pass in the neutral zone to set up the Podkolzin goalmouth play.

BLH’s Thoughts: The fight was going really well until Kass got tied up and McEwen slammed his face into the ice… Nobody said being a tough guy in the NHL was an easy job, but preseason or not, messages have to be sent to players that are taking liberties.

Personally, I’m not sure if Podkolzin wasn’t the guy that need a message sent to. He was in Smith’s grill quite a bit last night.

Spector’s Hockey

TSN: Darren Dreger reports there could finally be some progress on the Jack Eichel front. Sources told him ongoing discussions between Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams and clubs interested in acquiring the 24-year-old center have become more serious in recent days.

Speculation suggests one of the interested clubs is a West Coast team like the Los Angeles Kings or Anaheim Ducks though sources from those teams are downplaying their interest. Turning to Eastern clubs, New York Rangers sources say they’re not among them.

Appearing Monday on the Jeff Marek Show, Friedman said the Calgary Flames were among the teams that “really tried” to acquire Eichel this summer. He also indicated not once did anyone say to him that Eichel wouldn’t go to Calgary. He also didn’t think the Sabres could swing a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights because the latter didn’t want to part with promising center Peyton Krebs.

BLH’s Thoughts: Oh! FFS! Can we keep this guy out of the Pacific? For the love of Pete!

How much do you wanna bet that Vegas ends up with Eichel should they stumble out of the game. The guy they’ve got lining up a 1C is a 3C on a good team…